Stomach Pains
by Hazel Oakleigh
Summary: A bit of fluff! Vlad's waiting in the hospital after Robin gets rushed there with severe stomach pains, and doesn't know what's going to happen to his best friend. A gift for Drygionus!


**_This is just a little fluffy goodness; my gift to Jess to hopefully help cheer her up! I hope you like it :) I didn't realise the name thing until after I'd called it that, it wasn't copying Growing Pains I assure you! :D_**

Everyone enjoy! =]

-Sam  
xoxo

Vlad waited anxiously in the hall of Stokely and District Hospital, staring at the off white walls and cracked tiles without really seeing them. He could hear the nurses talking to each other hurriedly, walking from room to room, and the doctors and other workers going about their business accordingly.  
But Vlad barely noticed this; his attentions were elsewhere. His mind off in the distance.

"Don't worry, love." Mrs. Branaugh tried to sooth him with a gentle rub on his back.  
"The doctors know what they're doing, everything will be alright."  
Even in saying this, she was as white as a ghost and shaking herself, only seemingly comforted by the hand of her husband holding hers.  
Graham looked stony faced and wasn't saying anything.  
It must have been a sight, Vladimir Dracula and the entire Branaugh family parked in the waiting room of the local hospital wearing pajamas and night gowns. But then again, there were a few people similar. It was Emergency after all.

Beeping, faster and faster came from a room down the hall. "Clear!" And a lot of buzzing was heard, followed by a frantic, "We're losing him doctor!" Before the door to the room was slammed shut. Vlad tried to put this out of his mind; it couldn't be anything to do with _Robin, _of course not.

It had all started that morning, when Robin had come over to the castle for a visit. It had been an ordinary morning, with Vlad and Robin having a game of hide and seek, going through Vlad's ever growing cloak collection [which was of course, thanks to his father], and sampling 'lunch a-la Renfield', before spitting it out and hiding most of it under the table before Robin tried yet again to teach Vlad 'the art of chess'. The game had been cut short by Robin's complaints of stomach pains, which grew so bad he had to go home early. Vlad had hoped he'd get better by nightfall, but obviously this wasn't the case.  
Now he prayed the cause of all this pain wasn't due to Renfield's idea of food.  
Being woken up at 3am by a frantic Chloe telling him that Robin had been rushed to the hospital with chronic stomach pains wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, in fact, far from it. But knowing _he_ could be the cause of it was almost as gut wrenching.

"Come on, come on…" He muttered to himself, now no longer able to just sit and stare. Chloe, who was still wearing her 'Hello Kitty' night dress and slippers, gave him a sympathetic smile but said nothing. She knew words wouldn't help him. She turned to glare at her two dopey twin brothers, Ian and Paul, who were snoring loudly on each others shoulders, drool hanging down either side of their wide open mouths.

Vlad's palms felt sweaty. His heart [if it could beat], would surely be beating at a hundred miles an hour. His stomach was in almost as much pain as Robin's sounded like it was.  
Chloe had described how he'd woken up the entire household almost screaming in agony. The thought bought bile up to the back of his throat. He didn't know what he'd do if something happened to Robin. He was his only mate. His best friend. And so much more that he could never describe. Now he may not even get the chance to do just that.  
"Think positive" He told himself, clenching his hands into fists and pacing the floor back and forth.

It had been no problem getting out of the house so late; the Count hadn't even listened, and merely encouraged him to "Go and fill the peasants body's with fear and suck the town dry until morning.", thinking that Vlad was finally coming to his senses and wanting to hunt. He'd merely rolled his eyes and slammed his way out the door, not waiting for Ingrid's smarmy remarks that were sure to follow.

"Graham and Elizabeth Branaugh?" Vlad's head shot up, as did the Branaugh's. Ian and Paul continued to snore.  
"Yes?" Elizabeth asked tentively, now on her feet, closely followed by Graham. Chloe looked anxious, but not as anxious as Vlad felt.  
"Robin is doing fine, he's just in the recovery room at the moment. We were forced to operate on him straight away-" – Elizabeth gasped- "if we hadn't, your son could have died. It turns out he had a severe case of appendicitis; we removed his appendix just in time. I'm pleased to say he'll make a full recovery."  
Mrs. Branaugh sighed with relief, and let herself fall into her husbands arms. Vlad felt his stomach reposition itself.  
"Oh my goodness, thank you ever so much! We were so worried! Can we see him now?"  
The nurse smiled. "Yes of course. Go right in." She pointed to a door on the far left of where she was standing and continued her way down the hall.  
Vlad waited outside to give Robin's family some room. Chloe gave him a small smile as she walked in.

'He's alright, it's okay. It was just appendicitis, whatever that is… a breather thing I guess. He's okay it's alright.' He repeated over and over in his mind as he waited, trying to calm himself down now that he knew Robin was going to be okay.

"You can go in now Vlad dear, Robin's been asking for you." Elizabeth reappeared at the door with the rest of the family in tow, with the exception of the twins who continued to snore on the seats against the wall. She looked happier than she had all night.  
"Come on love, let's grab a cup of tea while we're here." The Branaugh's went in search of an open cafeteria, while Vlad tentively made his way into Robin's hospital room.

Closing the door behind him, he saw an even paler Robin than usual lying on the crisp white sheets and itchy blankets, a drip attached to his arm and his hair scruffier than usual. Regardless of the state he appeared in, he grinned at the site of his best friend.

"Hey Vlad! Can you bring me some sweets? The nurses say I'm not allowed to eat any in here, its rubbish!"  
Vlad couldn't help but grin. At least he knew Robin was alright if he was back to his old self asking for sweets.  
"I'll find some for you after, Robin. It's 4:30 in the morning, nothings open." Robin frowned.

"So what happened exactly…? I-I was so worried about you. Chloe came charging into the castle and woke me up and told me; I didn't know what to think." He blushed and stared at a fixed spot on the floor, sitting down on the brown squishy chair that sat right next to the head of Robin's bed.

Robin took this opportunity to launch into a massive second by second replay of his ordeal, describing each stab of pain as detailed as he could, and how he'd had to be sedated with _three_ large needles just to stop the screaming. Vlad highly doubted this last sentiment, but made out he believed him for Robin's benefit; it wasn't often he was the centre of attention when he was around.

"And now I've lost an organ Vlad, it's so cool! I asked if I could keep it as a souvenir, you know, so I could have given it to your dad. He might have appreciated it. But they said I couldn't."  
Vlad cringed. The thought made him sick; he was glad Robin's appendix wasn't going to be making an appearance in the Dracula household anytime soon.

He looked at Vlad and gave what appeared to be a nervous smile. This was odd for Robin.  
"Were you really worried about me?" He asked, his pale cheeks flooding with colour all of a sudden and his voice dropping an octave or two.

Before he knew what was happening, Vlad had placed a single hand on Robin's cold one that was lying on the mattress between them.  
"Of course I was Robin, you're my best mate... and- and I..." –he looked at the floor yet again as he spoke- "I don't know what I'd do without you. I was so worried I wasn't going to see you again, and then I'd really be alone and..." He trailed off looking sheepish and embarrassed.  
Robin smiled. "It's going to take more than my appendix almost bursting inside me to keep me away from you Vlad. You're my best mate too, and _I_ don't know what I'd do without _you." _  
His hand curled around the fingers of his friends, and he leant forward slightly, taking his other hand to place it on the side of Vlad's face.

Vlad, who was now shaking, looked into Robin's murky brown eyes and saw a flicker of something he wasn't sure of. _What was happening?_  
As suddenly as he'd placed his hand on Robin's, Robin himself leant right in just as Vlad turned away to blush some more. This resulted in a quick and awkward kiss of Vlad's neck. Both boys stared at each other in silence.

"For...being a good mate." Robin stammered, quickly straightening himself up and coughing slightly.  
Vlad did the same, praying to whatever god Vampires had that he would stop blushing. It showed up _ridiculously _on pale skin.  
"For being a good mate." Vlad repeated, wishing that wasn't so, but knowing whenever he got his hopes up things just always came crashing down.

An awkward silence rang out through the room. It was Robin who broke it.  
"Just wait until I can show my scar to everyone at school! Kelsey Peterson will be all over me!"

Vlad couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't exactly the thing he would have preferred Robin to have said right at that moment, but it did mean he was back to normal.  
_All I can do is hope. _Vlad thought. _Next time it will be different._  
He knew the day would come when he'd confess. But watching Robin trace the outline of his bandaged scar with his fingers made him realize. _Not yet._

**_Hope you don't mind the little mention of Kelsey ^_^ Feel better soon! *hugs*  
=]_**


End file.
